Rebecca's Christmas Gift by Emma Miller

Author:Emma Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2013-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The following Saturday, Rebecca, Ruth and Miriam went to Fifer’s Orchard in the nearby town of Wyoming to get apples. They were picking from the seconds bins by the side of the building and chatted while they worked. It was the last chance they’d have to spend with Miriam for a while as she and Charley were headed to Brazil to spend time with Leah and Daniel that week, and would be gone almost a month.

Mam’s orchard hadn’t produced many sound apples this year, and despite the quarts and quarts of applesauce they’d put up, Mam wanted more fruit for apple pies and cakes and apple butter. They would purchase baskets of the best apples to store in the cellar for winter, but the slightly bruised or odd-shaped seconds would be fine for cooking.

“So I heard Caleb’s courting Dorcas.” Miriam propped her hands on her hips. “Our cousin, Dorcas? How did that happen?”

Rebecca glanced at Ruth and Miriam. She didn’t want to talk about this with her sisters, and she certainly didn’t want to talk about it in public. It had not been a good week. When Caleb had told her he was having supper with Uncle Reuben’s family with the intention of trying to find out if he and Dorcas might be a suitable match, she’d been taken by surprise. Then, as the week had passed, she’d found herself growing more and more upset by the idea. And more certain she did have feelings for Caleb. Miriam had warned her she had to act fast, but it had never occurred to her that she’d have to act that fast. Even before she’d had the opportunity to consider what she felt, everything changed.

Ruth placed two apples into her brown paper bag. “I heard he went to supper at Aunt Martha’s Sunday evening and again on Wednesday. Wearing his good coat. Sounds like courting to me.”

“If Dorcas can land the new preacher, it will be a triumph for Aunt Martha,” Miriam said. “She told Mam that she was afraid she’d have Dorcas on her hands forever.”

“Mmm.” Ruth picked up an apple, examined it and then rejected the apple. “Maybe it’s the new tooth.”

“Getting that broken tooth repaired certainly didn’t hurt Dorcas’s appearance,” Miriam agreed. “You know I hate it when a woman’s looks are more important than how beautiful she is inside, but Dorcas can use all the help she can get.”

“That’s not very charitable,” Ruth admonished.

“I didn’t mean it unkindly.” Miriam looked up at her. “But the truth is, Dorcas is plain, and the way Aunt Martha insists she dress doesn’t help. Amish men aren’t all that different from any other. Most of the time, they’ll pick the pretty girls first.”

Ruth frowned. “It didn’t stop our Anna from making a good match with Samuel. Her size didn’t mean a thing to him.”

“Ya, but who wouldn’t want Anna? She has the biggest heart of any of us. She’s a wonderful mother to Samuel’s children—and she makes him happy. Not to mention that she’s a better cook than even Mam.

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